Renters scoot across border in Tijuana

TIJUANA, Mexico, June 19 (UPI) -- An enterprising Mexican couple have begun renting scooters in Tijuana to people who want to beat the long lines at the U.S. border crossing.

International Car Rental, owned by Annette and Cesar Macias, charges $10 for a scooter, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The renter gets instructions on using the scooter to get ahead of the long line of cars at the border and on where to turn it in on the U.S. side.

Lines for pedestrians are also long.

There is one catch. A spokesman for the California Division of Motor Vehicles said that anyone using a scooter in the state is required to have a motorcycle license and renters without one could face a ticket if they are pulled over.

Annette Macias contends that Mexican citizens do not need a license, calling it a "gray area," the report said.

Similar businesses renting bicycles sprang up after the 2001 terrorist attacks when U.S. Customs started allowing bicyclists to go to the head of the vehicle line. That loophole was closed in 2006 because too many people were showing up with bikes that lacked seats or working chains.